Skip to main content

Story: Thermal pools and spas

Exploiting hot springs

Image
Exploiting hot springs

In 1874, politician William Fox toured the thermal district of the central North Island. He subsequently wrote to Premier Julius Vogel, suggesting that the hot springs be developed as spas. His lengthy letter, in which he gave detailed descriptions of each of the hot pools he visited, was later published as an official paper, and the government eventually acted on his recommendation.

Using this item

Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Reference: Appendices to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1874, H-26

Source: Appendices to the Journals of the House of Representatives

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page

Nancy Swarbrick, Thermal pools and spas – Government spas, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/document/6447/exploiting-hot-springs (accessed 22 June 2026).

Story by Nancy Swarbrick, published 2 March 2009.